Our Board
Meet Our 2026 Board of Directors
134 N LaSalle St., Suite 1900
Chicago IL 60602
General Inquiries
info@serrainternational.org
Cindy Bell, President
Cindy Bell joined Serra in 1990, with two other ladies, as the first women members of the Serra Club of Green Bay. She grew up attending many Serra conventions with her parents, participating in the kids programs, while her father was in leadership roles. Cindy has served Serra as club president, district governor (before regions), and on various committees. She had the opportunity to serve as secretary of the international board, and later secretary of the US Council board. Currently, she is secretary of the Serra International Foundation, and the Combined Administrative Office (CAO) committee.
She was married to Fred Bell, until his death in 2008, and they raised 2 beautiful daughters. Now, 2 sons-in-law, & 4 grandchildren have been added to the family. She is a retired elementary school teacher, and has been involved at St. Bernard Parish, the Mauthe Ecumenical Center, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and the local children’s theater.
Daniel Grady, Treasurer, President-Elect
Dan Grady has been a member of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids, MI since 1997. He has served in several club officer roles through the years, served on the SI Board from 2009 - 2016, including a term as SI President (2014-2015), and has served on the Foundation Board since 2020. He is currently the Foundation Treasurer and President-Elect. Dan is married to Dawn Grady and has three grown children and three young grandchildren. He was a business banker in West Michigan for over 30 years, and currently works part time as the accounting manager of a small non-profit.
Michael Bragg, Secretary
Michael graduated from the College of Wooster, with honors, and obtained his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University, cum laude. Michael is a partner in the law firm Spengler Nathanson PLL in Toledo, Ohio. Michael has served as President, Secretary and Foundation Representative on the Serra International Board. Michael is a Past President and Trustee of the Serra International Foundation and has served as a District Governor and Past President Toledo Ohio Serra Club. Michael is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus, Past Grand Knight of St. Joan of Arc Council 15905 and Past President of the St. Joan of Arc Athletic Board. Michael has volunteered as a coach and scout leader and sung in the parish choir. Michael is a Past President of the Toledo Bar Association Real Estate Committee and currently sits on the Bar Admissions Committee. He is a member of St. Joan of Arc Parish, has been married for thirty-nine years and has four children and three grandchildren.
Judy Schumaker, Past President
Judy Schumaker, joined Serra along with her husband, Dan, in 2003 with the Serra Club of Lafayette, Indiana. She has served in several leadership positions, including president, vice president of membership, vice president of programs, trustee, and chair of the Leadership Committee. Serra leadership positions beyond the local level include several years on the Serra US Leadership Committee. She began her second term on the Serra International Foundation in 2023, having joined the board as a trustee in 2019.
Judy and Dan, college sweethearts at Purdue University, have been married for 53 years and have two grown children and one grandson. They are members of St. Boniface Church in Lafayette. Their volunteer service together included the RCIA and Christ Renews His Parish teams. For more than 20 years, Judy served the parish in various volunteer roles, including director of religious education, catechist, and youth minister. She retired from Purdue University in 2018, having worked for 28 years as a professional fundraiser.
Cecilia Akindele, Trustee
Cecilia Olushola Akindele (PhD) was born January 13, 1951 into a Catholic Family of Eight. She worked as a Lecturer in a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria for 35 years. Additionally, she has served in Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria as Head of Department, Office Technology and Management; as Dean, School of Management and Business Studies; and lastly as Dean, Students Affairs and retired from active service in January 2016.
A Serran of Serra Club of Maryland, Lagos. She has served as the Secretary at inception; as President of the Club; and as District Officer (Programmes) - District 130B Nigeria. She is passionately interested in the welfare of Priests and Religious. Celilia was married but widowed; with 4 grown up children, all married and 8 grandchildren.
Thomas Castellanos, Trustee
Thomas Castellanos has been a member of the Serra Club of Phoenix. He has served founding President of the East Valley Serra club of phoenix in 2002 and in several club officer roles through the years. He served on the SI Board, including a term as SI Treasurer (2013-2016), and he is currently serving locally as Trustee of Serra Club of Phoenix. Thomas is married to Rosie Castellanos and has five grown children and twenty young grandchildren. He is a finance officer of Non profit organizations in the Phoenix metro area for over 20 years, and now serves as a member of Diocese of Phoenix advisory board, and head of the Audit Committee. He works part time for a national small non profit, and assists at his local parish Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Tempe, AZ.
Gene Gillespie, Trustee
Gene is currently based in Franklin, TN, where he has served the Williamson County Serra Club as President, Vice President, and VP of Programs during his tenure of 6-years. Gene also serves as District 18 Governor for the state of TN and has actively embraced being a “business connector” for both…Serra International and the Diocese of Nashville.
Gene’s professional influences and work-ethic was cultivated from being raised as the oldest in a “corporate” Catholic family, that moved every 4-5 years and has lived in 17 states/provinces across the US & Canada.
Gene attended the University of Missouri, graduating with a BA in Communications. His skills and strengths were accelerated through his time as both a corporate and non-profit business development leader, agency branding, international expansion, marketing, and fundraising.
In the past 6-years, Gene lent his talent to the Diocese of Nashville, both as Development Director for Catholic Charities and then, to secure the required financing for a million-dollar campaign, that enabled a new Worship Center to be built for the use and growth of the Hispanic Community throughout middle TN.
“Business Development is my ‘core competency’. It only defines the visual me. It’s my faith in Jesus Christ that internally defines and continues to motivate me to serve, to honor and to commit to Serra, as I serve HIM and give all Glory to my Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Bertha Acuña Hallatt, Trustee
Has served Serra for more than thirty years where she has held several positions including President of her local Club. Bertha was Trustee and Area Representative of the Serra International Board and was Vice President of Vocations til January 2019 when she retired from the International Board .
She is very active with her society in Cuernavaca, her hometown with local committees, catholic apostolates as well as Treasurer of a community in Cuernavaca. She is also a real state administrator of various properties. She was responsible for the rescue and organization of the historic library of the dioceses of Cuernavaca as well as all the XV and XVI century archives.
She has a BA in History from the University of Morelos in Mexico. She has been married to Jorge Delgado for the last 53 years and together they raised a family of two boys and one girl and they are now the proud grandparents of five.
Tim O’Neill, Trustee
Served as President of Serra International in 2015. Tim is a member of the Serra Club of Omaha. Tim has been actively involved in Serra for 35 years. During this time he has held several offices within his club, serving as President in 1991. Tim has served as District Governor for Region 9W, and has served on the SI Board Nominating Committee 2010 and 2011, has been a member of the SI Board of Trustees since 2012 and served as the SI Board Vice President of Communications 2013 prior to his election to President-Elect. Tim currently serves on the SI Board Long- Range Planning Committee, and the Combined Administrative Office (CAO) taskforce.
Tim and his wife Sally chaired the 2009 SI Convention held in Omaha, NE as well as the 2014 SI Convention held in Sacramento, CA. Tim and Sally are very active in the Archdiocese of Omaha and serve on several committees. Tim is a member of the Archbishop’s Committee for Development. They are also active in the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) where Tim serves as chair of the IPF Foundation Board of Directors. Tim and Sally are active members in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and members of Christ the King Church in Omaha.
Tim and Sally have two sons, Connor and Collin and three grandchildren.
Robert (Bob) Rudman, Trustee
Bob resides in Franklin, Tennessee and has been married for sixty-one years to his wife Missy, and has four married children and six grandchildren. He was an economics major and hockey player graduating from Boston College. He took on marketing management responsibilities with National Broadcasting Co. (Huntley-Brinkley, Jeopardy and The Macneil-Lehrer Show), American Brands, and Johnson & Johnson before starting a manufacturer’s representative company. For over twenty years his company developed new markets of distribution and products for many blue chip companies. He is retired but involved in marketing and consulting for many nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Children’s Kindness Network (teaching children to stop bullying before it starts). A volunteer with the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, which has honored him for volunteering. Received the Exemplary Community Volunteer Award for 2014 and 2015. Volunteer with the Dominican Sisters at Aquinas College, having served on their Board as well as the School Board of St. Matthews Church. A member of St. Philip Catholic Church serving on their Legacy Committee as well as the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the parish. Bob is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and currently serves on the Advisory Committee of Mercy Community Healthcare.
John Short, Trustee
John joined the Melbourne Club of Serra International in 2014. He became a trustee of the Club in 2014 and was appointed President in 2017 (continuing position). John is also the Vice President – Vocations and Vice President – Communications of the Melbourne Club.
John joined the Serra Australia Foundation as trustee in 2019 and in 2025 was appointed as Chairman (continuing position). John is also a Board Member of the Serra Council of Australasia by virtue of his role as Chairman of the Serra Australia Foundation.
John is recently retired. He has worked in the private sector and government sector through his career comprising financial planning, banking, Commonwealth Treasury and accounting. He is a Fellow of FINSIA (the Financial Services Institute of Australasia) and a CPA. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, University of Melbourne (majors in economics and accounting) and Diploma of Financial Planning.
John is single and has been a long-term carer of his parents and an aunt in their ill health over a 35-year period.
Renee Underwood, Trustee
Renée attended her first Fort Worth Serra Club meeting in 2019 at the invitation of two members. Just three months later she was serving on the board as Program VP and has helped to carry out Serra’s three-fold mission ever since.
“I believe Serra is one of the best-kept secrets in the Church and I feel compelled to share this apostolate with others to broaden the impact of its important work,” says Renée. To that end, she currently serves as District Governor of Serra USA Council SC District 46 and as a facilitator and mentor for IGNITE workshops that help parishes form vocations ministries.
A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Renée is Chief Development Officer of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth Advancement Foundation with responsibility for annual and planned giving, major gifts, endowment funds, and capital campaigns.
Renée holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, an MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas, and has completed additional graduate studies toward a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans.
A trained spiritual director, Renée is an active volunteer in her community and her parish. She is a widow, the mother of two sons, and a grandmother of three, who loves watching sports, especially her beloved Red Raiders, spending time with her family, and international travel through Catholic pilgrimages.
Meet Our Staff
John Liston, Executive Director
jliston@serrainternational.org
After graduating from Archbishop Quigley High School Seminary, John earned a Bachelor of Science from the Darla Moore School of Businessmen at the University of South Carolina, receiving degrees in international business, human resources management, and entrepreneurship. He obtained a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a certificate in advocacy.
Before becoming Executive Director of Serra, John worked for the law firm of Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman, LLP, as a civil defense attorney. In addition to his work for Serra, John is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he teaches courses in negotiation, mediation, and client counseling. John also serves as the treasurer for Innovation Experts, a non-profit that provides support services for public libraries.
Paul Slomski, Director of Development
pslomski@serrainternational.org
Paul brings more than 25 years of dynamic fundraising experience to the Serra International Foundation, building a successful track record in revenue development with United Way and leading professional membership association foundations. A proud graduate of Marquette University with a degree in Public Relations and Marketing, Paul credits his Catholic education for instilling a lifelong commitment to service and having a meaningful impact.
Based in Chicago, he actively volunteers with youth sports organizations to help ensure every child has a chance to play. Paul enjoys getting outside and staying physically active.